DAI YOUNG has warned his Blues they could be put to the sword if they fail to produce the goods against Toulouse this weekend.

Young admits there’s plenty of room for improvement from his team, who have won only five of their 13 competitive matches this season.

He says now is the time for them to recapture their best form with French aristocrats Toulouse the visitors to the Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday for a vital Heineken Cup clash.

“We aren’t playing like we want to play,” said Young. “This is the time we need to come together and we know we can’t leave it any longer.

“We will go into the game with that fear factor because we know if we aren’t on form they could really put us to the sword.

“They are one of the best sides in Europe and are a massive challenge – games don’t get any bigger than this.”

This Saturday’s clash is the first of back-to-back encounters against the three-times European champions with the Blues travelling out to France next week.

“These are two massive games against Toulouse and we need to start big against them and win here,” said director of coaching Young.

“We have huge respect for them, but we know that at our best we can match them and get the win. I would like to think they will fear us a bit as well.

“We have the players, who, on their day, are more than a match for anyone. It is important that we express ourselves, earn the right to play by getting our set-piece right and be ruthless in everything we do.

“With our Wales players coming back this week we are starting to look like the team we were last year.

“We haven’t been in a position yet where we can pick all our influential players together, so this week it will be a real luxury to select from a full -strength squad.”

The Blues claimed a famous quarter-final victory over Toulouse at the Millennium Stadium in last-season’s Heineken Cup, winning a hard-fought battle 9-6.

“It was one of the best days we have had as a side,” said Young. “It was a real nail-biter right at the end and both teams bombed some good chances. We have to take confidence and belief from the fact we have proved we can beat them.”

The Blues began this season’s Heineken campaign with a 20-6 home win over Harlequins and then picked up a losing bonus point in a 27-26 defeat away to Sale.

Star-studded Toulouse, meanwhile, top Pool 5, having beaten both English clubs in their opening two group matches.

But they have not been firing on all cylinders in the French championship, winning only eight of their 15 league matches to date.

They have lost to both Brive and Castres over the last three weeks, either side of a narrow victory at home to lowly Montauban.